A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

The struggle over the future of the city’s trio of aging elephants
has reached “an impasse,” says the head of the Toronto Zoo, as
accusations escalate on all sides and new questions are raised about the
health of animals at the California sanctuary where they are destined
to retire.
The charges by Toronto Zoo chief executive John Tracogna follow
allegations that zoo staff have been willfully standing in the way of
the move. At the heart of the fight is speculation about tuberculosis
testing of elephants at the sanctuary and charges that zoo officials are
refusing to review documents made available to them.

Mr.
Tracogna issued a statement late Monday saying plans to move the
animals were stalled because of a failure of the Performing Animal
Welfare Society facility to provide medical records for its elephants.
“Obviously, we are disappointed that the health information that we
require is not being made available,” Mr. Tracogna said. “We remain
steadfast in our repeated requests for the medical records. It is
entirely irresponsible to move members of our family to another home
without proof of operations and medical history.”
Zoo staff felt compelled to issue the statement “to respond to
spurious allegations made by ill-intentioned sources,” the release said.
Pat Derby, executive director and co-founder of PAWS, operator of the
California facility, said the Toronto Zoo has been provided with all
medical information.
“We have sent them the medical records of every elephant alive,” she said. “You may quote me. They lie. They lie – L-I-E.”

The future of Toronto’s three elephants – Iringa, Toka and Thika –
has been fraught with finger-pointing from all sides. No one disputes
that the three aging females would be better off in a warmer climate,
but where to send them is the subject of heated debate. Last fall, city
councillors took the unusual step of becoming directly involved in that
decision, ordering staff to send the trio to the sanctuary and
overriding a previous decision of the zoo board.
The plight of the three elephants even captured the attention of
animal welfare advocate and former game show host Bob Barker, who has
offered to pay the cost of moving the animals to California.
City council’s direct involvement in the elephants’ move also has
been controversial, prompting one of the sector’s major governing bodies
to strip the Toronto Zoo of its accreditations last month. Staff and
the board recommended sending the elephants to a facility that has
accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which the PAWS
facility does not have.
Toronto councillor Michelle Berardinetti, a leading advocate for the
move, accuses zoo staff of deliberately flouting council’s direction and
refusing to review documents provided to them by PAWS.
“It’s complete insubordination,” Ms. Berardinetti said. She is
planning to present the documents in question – including PAWS medical
records – personally to zoo officials at a meeting Wednesday. If all
else fails she will take the issue to council next week.
Julie Woodyer, with Zoocheck, is PAWS’ representative in Canada. She
said she has tried repeatedly to have the CEO or his representative
inspect the medical records, as outlined in the legal agreement between
the city and the sanctuary, even delivering a message to him at a zoo
board meeting when he refused to answer e-mails.
“I have been begging him for weeks to please come and look at them,” she said.
Ms. Derby, a former animal trainer, describes the climate as “toxic,”
saying she has never encountered such an acrimonious situation in the
many years she has taken animals into her care. That includes facing
gunfire in one incident, she said. “It was simple shooting and it was
over,” she said. “This is continual sniping.”
The latest accusations involve questions about the results of
tuberculosis tests on three elephants in the care of PAWS. In a blog
post on the sanctuary’s website, Ms. Derby says every elephant at her
facility tested consistently negative for TB in cultures obtained in a
process known as “truck wash.” All the African elephants that will be
housed with the Toronto females also have been found “non-reactive” to
TB in blood tests, it says.
Blood tests done on three other elephants that have come back
“reactive,” but Ms. Derby stated in an interview that such blood results
are not considered active TB.
In a report on TB in elephants, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service recommends more frequent
testing of animals with positive blood tests and negative TB culture
results, but notes many factors influence the development of a disease
after exposure.
Ms. Derby said foot problems in one of the Toronto elephants are a greater health concern.
In the statement, Mr. Tracogna does not discuss any specific health
concerns and describes the PAWS facility as having “many redeeming
qualities.”
“We are fully prepared to move the elephants under conditions that ensure the health of the elephants involved,” he states.
Zoo board chair Joe Torzsok said he is still hopeful “cooler heads will prevail.”
“There have been a lot of accusations and a lot of noise,” he said.

'On the subject of "lie, lie, L.I.E", and correct me if I am wrong please, but was not Ted Derby shot in the act of rustling(stealing) cattle?" It seem's Ms. Derby's life has been filled with conspiracy and everybody does it wrong, except her. Can anybody say "delusional disorder..............

Posted by
Wade G. Burck

6 comments:

Wade, The Key to what I have read is Pat Derby's claim that none of their elephants that are "ALIVE" have TB, yet USDA Documents show that Rebecca and Sabu both tested Positive with various strains and both are "DEAD". Therefore they don't count??????

Also for those that don't know, its a Trunk wash not a truck wash test.

There's no telling what kind of results they could get in a truck wash!Bob

Bob, A few years ago, and it is in the archives, I stated that it appeared to me that the TB card was played only if it was beneficial to USDA and other organizations in the seizure of animals, or to add false drama to ar agendas. California waived the testing for Nic and Gyp, while Tennessee was insistent on it, until the death of Sue, at which time they waived it, in an effort to get the elephants relocated.

Unless you have visited this 2000 acre, paid in full, idyllic place for elephants-to-be-elephants and not have to be stared at all day in a concrete, lonely, enclosure...then shut up. Go see the Trunk Wash. They will show you how they do it. They will tell you the facts about it. Go see how elephants are supposed to live and pare that with how we/zoos MAKE them live.

Anonymous, Jesus Christ, are you that ignorant. Is that what you call a welfare recipient, "paid in full." You are as proud of your opinion as you are of your name for making it. You are just another anonymous mutt. The world is full of your kind.